Overlooked Opportunities – Don’t Get Left At The Gas Pump Of Life!

Most of us are so caught up in the trivial inner workings of our day that we miss the overlooked opportunities that are staring us right in the face in bold fashion.

The problem is when we blow a chance for advancement that the heavens dropped right into our laps specifically for us and we get angry when someone else seizes that very opening that we didn’t see for their benefit.We can’t be mad with anyone else but ourselves.A prime example of this happened to me just yesterday…….

When over by the Sam’s Club Gas Station here in Orlando on Colonial Drive & Good Homes Road, my Wife and I were in a very long line waiting our turn to fill up on some gas that sold for a really good price.As we crept up closer to the pumps over the next few minutes, we noticed that the woman in the line ahead of us really wasn’t paying attention as our line moved up because she was somehow distracted from seeing the large gap of space ahead of her because she appeared to be texting or reading something in her lap.No problem.

But when front pump of the two in front of her was free, she wasn’t on the lookout for it or really didn’t care. Her head was up but she seemed content to wait for the Ford F-150 in front of her to fill up while the pump in front of him was beckoning to be used.

I made the decision to go to that pump so that I can gas up and get out of there, I didn’t perceive my actions as “cutting the line” or “doing anything wrong” because she obviously had no intentions of moving from her present position. So I seized an opportunity that either she didn’t see or refused to take advantage of. Plain and simple.

So as I gassed up and was about to punch the button for my receipt, but the man in the F-150 Ford Pick-UP (Whom appeared to be extremely intoxicated!) behind me finally left only to reveal the woman to whom I passed earlier to get my spot at the pump take the position behind me.

I watched her face as she drove toward the pump, she avoided any eye contact and I knew somehow that she was angry that I took the opportunity for myself to get out of that gas station faster even though she made no attempt to do so as she had the first right of refusal. She was a larger woman and struggled to get out of her Corolla which I thought to myself was a very bad choice of a vehicle for a woman of that girth but who was I to judge.

She seemed to be in her own world as she selected the grade of gas she desired as I grabbed my sales receipt from the pump that I just finished using.

I opened the door to my car and sat down but noticed that the woman behind me said something in my direction and it was somewhat of a delayed reaction for me to respond because it took a moment for what she said to sink in.

“What you did was dead wrong, it wasn’t right at all!” She said this in a voice so soft that I wondered if she really intended for me to hear it. I really didn’t think she did but I believe she said it anyway to relieve herself of feeling as though she was taken advantage of or made to feel slow and inept.

I thought it was a weak way of expressing oneself and got annoyed that she didn’t even have the balls to speak her mind firmly. But what I really believe is that she didn’t count on my hearing being as good as it was.

So before I closed my vehicle door I stuck my head out and turned in her direction and stated:

“If you feel that I did you wrong, I feel as though you did the entire LINE behind you wrong for holding it up in an inconsiderate manner not thinking of the other people behind you who wanted to get out of here while you sat down with an empty pump in front of you that you should have taken!”

She was stunned that I articulated my feelings as sharp and as swiftly as I did as I could tell she wasn’t ready for such a quick response that broke it down to her like that.

But people are like that in this world, they will have an opportunity to advance themselves or gain and not take advantage of it only to get angry when someone does what they COULD HAVE done!

Opportunities in this world don’t last forever and if you forfeit your blessing and see that someone else received it then you really can’t get angry! Too many people are complacent and feel as though their success is guaranteed and nothing could be further from the truth!

If you can sing well if you don’t assert yourself to placing your talent in front of the right people then what good is it to have such a gift/

If you can draw or illustrate well, what good is it if you don’t work hard to develop your gift to get your talents out there in front of the masses so that they can enjoy your abilities?

If you have a talent with numbers, why is it that you are complaining about not having a good job when you can go to school to put yourself in a position to be courted by top businesses that need your abilities as an accountant.

You see, I can go on forever with examples but I believe you get the idea, if you get mad at the fact that someone else has become successful from an opportunity that you thought was all yours then think again! It was only all yours when it was right in front of you, time waits on no one and great chances blown hurt the most because YOU had the first chance to capitalize on it.

This is a divine law and every chance that you are afforded requires ACTION on your part because if you don’t go for it when you can the opportunity may NEVER present itself ever again and you will be one bitter individual thinking about what could have been. I’m just telling you the absolute truth about what I have learned because I have blown many chances in my life for advancement but was too stupid to see what was in front of me.

But the only saving grace that I had was the ability to “see” the new chances that God granted me to do better in life and I was NOT so distracted to overlook them because I learned from my wasted chances before.

One thing is certain that all opportunities do not appear to you so obviously or actually the same. Some are masked in a situation that might not be the most desirable as far as your tastes go but there may be a gem of a gift hidden within.

You might get a job that doesn’t pay very well but maneuvers you into a position that will catapult you into something beyond your wildest dreams over and above anything that you expected but because you maintained a humble demeanor and took on the job graciously, you gained because the Heavens smiled down upon you to reward your willingness with a blessing.

…….so stay alert and keep away from all distractions that can be the one thing that cause you to miss those overlooked opportunities. If you fail to do so then you just might end up like that frustrated woman at the gas station who only had herself to blame for missing the empty pump!

THE MOVE TO DISENFRANCHISE!

The Akaline Water Company (who is renowned for Akaline88) will now work with AQUAhydrate, a company backed by P. Diddy and Mark Wahlberg, to produce CBD-infused water products. The post Diddy backed akaline water company to invest in booming CBD industry appeared first on theGrio.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion's "Hot Girl Summer" is not over yet! The popular femcee has recently snagged a coveted spot on JAY-Z's Roc Nation roster. The post Megan Thee Stallion links her star to the Roc Nation roster appeared first on theGrio.

After reports of xenophobic attacks against foreign business owners emerged, many Nigerian citizens have fled South Africa in the wake of all the tension. The post Nigerians return to homeland after attacks in South Africa appeared first on theGrio.

Since his death, Prince fans have been able to listen to music that the legendary artist had previously kept hidden away. It looks like more music will continue to be released, and there is no foreseeable signs of the musical flood stopping. The post Rare and unreleased music from Prince to be made public by […]

Joe Biden has put his foot in his mouth during his bid for the 2020 presidency by making comments about Black parenting during the third Democratic debates on ABC. The post Joe Biden suggests Black parents need help raising their children appeared first on theGrio.

Veteran actor Terrence Howard says when when Empire wraps up its upcoming and final season, he plans to give up acting altogether and retire from the industry. The post Terrence Howard announces he’s ‘done with acting’ after ‘Empire’ appeared first on theGrio.

More and more, members of the public eye are being held accountable for social media posts from over a decade ago. Case in point, Tami Sawyer, African American candidate to be the first female mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, came under scrutiny after a tweet re-surfaces of her being insensitive to a grieving pet owner. The […]

Often when a couple gets a divorce they go their separate ways and never see each other again, but this month, Sanda “Pepa” Denton, of the legendary hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa put the past aside to attend her ex's Treach's wedding. The post Rapper Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa attends ex-husband Treach’s wedding appeared first on theGrio.

All Tabetha Tyndale wanted was a private place to pump breast milk for her 10-month old son at her job as a nurse at the Extended Managed Long term care, a Staten Island home health care company. Instead Tyndale, 30, was let go just because of the simple request. On Sept 5, Tyndale reached an […]

Trevor Noah has joined the chorus of viewers reacting to last this week's Democratic presidential debate, and opined to his audience that one of the moderators had essentially "shanked" Sen. Kamala Harris on the issue of criminal justice. The post Trevor Noah reacts to Kamala Harris’ brutal takedown during Democratic Debate appeared first on theGrio.